


Shots Fired

by Saint_Lexi



Series: La Reina de la Muerte [1]
Category: Saints Row
Genre: Anxiety, At least not yet (still questionable), Betrayal, Developing Friendships, Did I mention this is my first fanfic?, Eventual Romance, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Gang Violence, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Murder, Not a Crossover, Original Character(s), Past Characters/Relationships Mentioned (Other Fandoms), Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Self-Hatred, Smut, The Fast and The Furious (Maybe? Most Likely), Trust, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-13
Updated: 2019-06-27
Packaged: 2019-10-07 14:08:46
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 16,022
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17367302
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Saint_Lexi/pseuds/Saint_Lexi
Summary: When she came back to Stilwater she never meant to stay, let alone join the Saints. Stilwater wasn't home and it hadn't been for a long time, but when Julius Little saved her life she felt as if she had been given a second chance.Please read and review!





	1. Welcome Home

**Author's Note:**

> The idea for this particular fic came to me out of the blue after I had finished GooH a few years back, but just recently decided to turn it into a full blown 50+ chapter story.

_The fire in her eyes that had once burned so bright was starting to fade as she stared death in the face for the very last time. Had she known that in deciding to make an appearance at the church that morning all those years ago she'd end up here she might have just walked away._

  
**_The Row, Stilwater 2006_ **

  
Lexi hadn't known how long she stood there on the corner staring at the graffiti covered church that had once been the center of attention, before she found herself walking toward it.

_Come to the church when you want to be part of the solution._

The words had somehow found their way into her brain where they chose to stay for the remainder of the night only to serve as a reminder the next morning. When she came back to Stilwater she had only one intention, that was to finally put her big brother to rest and she was bound determined to put a bullet in the motherfucker that murdered him.

Now she found herself standing in the middle of a church yard in a sea of men clad in royal purple. She stuck out like a sore thumb, dressed in an oversized black hoodie and a pair of gray jogging sweats, but nobody seemed to notice her. Instead, they all had their eyes cast upon the dark skinned man atop the concrete steps.

"Every muthafucka here knows what we need to do," Julius Little said addressing the crowd as they watched him intently, hanging onto his every word. "Those bitches be ridin' around, thinkin' they own these streets, I don't care what flags they're flyin'... Rollerz, Carnales, Vice Kings... no one's makin' this nigga scared to walk the Row. We 'bout to lock this shit down... right now."

His posture said it all, he was clearly the man in charge, the one calling the shots.

In the midst of applause and chants from the men surrounding her she catches the eye of the blonde man one step down from Julius, the man who had saved her life the night before. Troy, she recalled. He gave her a slight nod of acknowledgment accompanied by a soft smile before lighting the cigarette between his lips.

"Fuck yeah!" one of the men in front of her shouts, starteling her. He must've sensed this because when he turned around his chocolate brown eyes locked on her emerald greens and he didn't recall ever knowing the petite blonde before him. "Who the fuck's this bitch?" Instantly she dislikes the man with frosted tips and just as she's about to say something Julius interjects.

"Troy and I found her," Julius tells him. "I was gonna see if she'd ride with us."

"Julius, if she wants to run with the Saints she's gotta be canonized," the man quips with a smirk that is both annoying and sexy.

"He's right, Julius," Troy speaks, Boston accent clear as day. "Everyone had to do it."

Julius nods sullenly before meeting her eyes. "You ready for this, Playa?"

She glanced around at the men surrounding her once more before nodding and cracking her knuckles. The first man to swing gets a solid punch to the stomach after she side stepped his fist, causing him to stumble back.

When she stands another comes from behind and wraps his arms around her middle in an attempt to throw her over his back, but her feet were barely off the ground when she leaned forward and elbowed him in the side of his head. He quickly released her and while he was distra ted she turned around and hit him hard enough to send him to the ground. Then she caught sight of a third man coming at her with a metal baseball bat and when he swung she caught the end that would have connected with her face. His eyes widened and he was too stunned to do anything when she tilted it at an angle before shoving the other end back in his face.

The sound following the impact is enough to indicate that his nose is definitely broken. His hands cover most of his face in an attempt to stop the bleeding, but blood seeped through his fingers. When he stumbles back into the crowd a fourth man steps forward with a wary look on his face.

His fist is only inches away from her face when she ducks out of the way and delivers a rock hard blow to his gut that knocks the wind out of his lungs. He stumbles back and hunches over, taking the time to catch his breath before going at her again. She steps out of the way just as he's about to tackle her and the moment he turns around her fist collides with his face. He wipes the blood from his busted lip with his sleeve and takes another swing. Instead of dodging it she catches his fist and twists his arm behind his back where she adds to the pain by pushing up on his elbow with her free hand.

After a minute or so she decided he'd had enough and pushed him forward, but he tripped and almost fell to the ground. She looked around to see if anyone else would step up, but no one did.

"You earned your colors today," Troy says, giving her a high-five, and then pulled her in to pat her on the back. When he stepped back she felt a hand on her shoulder and she whipped around to see the cute dark skinned man looking down on her.

"That's some impressive shit," the man said with a bright smile. "The only other Saint who kicked ass like that was Johnny."

"Shit, took me half the time," the man who had insisted she be canonized says with a smirk she wouldn't mind knocking off.

"I'm Dex, by the way," he said, extending a hand to her.

"Lexi," she smiled, taking his hand in hers.

"Welcome to the 3rd Street Saints," Julius says when he reaches the bottom step, greeting her with a quick fist bump before raising his voice to get everyone else's attention. "Let's get down to business. If we're serious about takin' back the Row, we gotta let those muthafuckas know what time it is. Now you break it down, and it's all about respect. Get enough of it, they're gonna back off, and we're gonna move right on in. We got some friends in town that could use some help. Give 'em a hand. 'Course, you can always drop any muthafucka flyin' the wrong flag. So long as word gets out that the Saints is on the Row, I don't give a damn how you do it. You feel me?"

She nodded as did the others before they went off to their own devices.

As everyone passed by she realized she was in fact the only female among them. She was about to ask until she felt a hand clasp down on her shoulder. It was Troy.

"Looks like you're with me today," he says after passing her, making his way toward the sidewalk while beckoning her to follow.

"Where are we going?"she asked when she stepped onto the cracked cement.

"Friendly Fire," he finally answered when they turned the corner. "You're rolling with the Saints now, so you're gonna need a gun. You got any cash on you?" She nodded and continued on down the sidewalk next to him.

"Welcome to Friendly Fire," the bald man behind the display case beamed when they stepped through the door. "What can I do you for, Sir?"

"Something simple for the kid here," Troy answers as she looks over the guns in the case over.

A minute or two passes before she decides to go with a Vice 9. The man behind the counter smiles before retrieving the gun with a holster belt. He hands it to her and Troy raises a brow when she pops out the empty clip and takes aim at the human target poster on the Wall behind her.

"How's the sight on this?" she asked after turning around, flipping the gun over in her hand before placing it on the glass.

"Don't you think that's a bit big?" Troy asks, interrupting the man as he was about to answer her question.

"Normally, I wouldn't dare recommend a gun with this much kick to a little lady such as your daughter, but she looks like she knows what she's doing."

"She's not my daughter," Troy mumbles under his breath and she giggles.

"I'll take this one," she said, reaching into the front of her hoodie for the folded bills she kept hidden in her bra.

"Good choice," he said with a smile, ringing it up. "Will that be all?" He looked up to see her place a few large bills in front of him before placing the rest of her money back in her shirt.

"Uh, seven clips and two... three boxes of ammo," she added, causing Troy look at her sideways with a questioning look etched on his face as the man punched in a few more numbers. She pursed her lips while avoiding his gaze and fastened the belt around her waist.

Once the man handed her change back he placed the ammo and clips in front of her. Both he and Troy watched her with astonishment as she loaded all sever clips in under a minute and placed six, along with the spare ammo in the belt, one in the gun. She pulls back the hammer and placed the gun in its holster as well before they headed out, Troy still looking a little put off.

"Lexi, right?" he asks once the door closes behind him and she nods. "You ever handle a gun before?"

"A few times, yeah," she answered although it was obvious. "Why?"

"It's time we clean up the Row," he told her, pulling his gun from the holster strapped to his jeans.

As he took off down the sidewalk she followed close behind him with her gun on her side. They turned two corners before he held up a hand to stop her. She peered around him to see a small group of three men clad in yellow on the other side of the street. Vice Kings.

When Troy stood there with his back turned to her she pulled her high ponytail tighter before removing her gun to take aim at the fat white guy with a yellow bandanna wrapped around his bald head. A shot rang out and the man fell to the ground, the thud of his heavy body allerting his friends. They turned to Lexi, gun still smoking. Just as Troy was about to say something scolding, two more shots rang out and they were the only ones left standing on the street.

His mouth hung open for a moment, but he found himself at a loss for words.

"You coming?" she asked as she walked past him.

"Yeah, right behind you," he says after clearing his thoughts, following her across the street. As he walked past the bodies of the VKs he furrowed his brows at the disturbing sight of their brain matter spilling from the bullet holes in their heads. "So, you only do headshots?"

"You want them dead, right?" she asked coldly and continued down the sidewalk. "They don't always go down when you shoot elsewhere."

"Alright sweetheart, when you find someone who's survived a bullet to the heart, by all means, please let me know," he said sarcastically, shaking his head.

She takes a deep breath before exhaling through her nose and rounds yet another corner where a larger group of VKs stood, engrossed in conversation.

Without a second to spear, she started firing until she emptied her clip, but quickly replaced it with a full clip. Lucky for the two of them she was fast on her feet because Troy's aim wasn't counting for shit.

When the last VK went down, Lexi turned back to see Troy holding his gun to the side like the fake gangsters she saw in movies. She placed her gun back in it's holster and took hold of his wrist, forcing him to hold it right before letting go.

"Hey, what the fuck?"

"You hold your gun like a fake ass wannabe banger for fuck sake," she told him, defensively crossing her arms over her chest, with a hint of dismay in her tone. "It's why your aim is trash."

"Alright, alright. Jesus," he mumbled and she just rolled her eyes seeing as there was nothing more sge could do at this point.

When she turned back toward the road she spotted a bright yellow Capshaw barreling toward them. Troy shot the windshield, but missed the driver. Lexi sighed before pulling her gun back out, putting a bullet in the drivers head.

The vehicle came to a stop just inches in front of them and the moment another VK hopped out of the passenger side he took aim at Troy, but before he had the chance to put a finger on the trigger Lexi puts a bullet between his eyes.

"Thanks, kid."

"I'm not a kid," she said as she walked over and pulled the man's dead body from behind the wheel, leaving him on the sidewalk before taking his place. "Come on, we gotta get outta here before more of those fuckers show up."

He nods, then slips into the passenger seat and she throws the car in reverse before he gets his door shut.

"Where are we going?" he asked after a minute as she swerved from right to left, dodging vehicles.

"My place," she answered while glancing up at the rearview mirror for the tenth time to see if they were being followed. "Just outside of Mission Beach in Harrowgate."

"Oh, okay," was all he said and then put his gun back in the holster.

After ditching the car a block away from her building they climb the two flights of stairs to her apartment. Once inside she removed the suffocating hoodie, revealing the beige spaghetti strap tank top she wore underneath that hugged the curves of her torso.

"Nice place you got here," Troy said, admiring the décor while she removed her sneakers. The room looked like it had come straight out of a Homes and Gardens magazine. Everything from the decorative throw pillows on the couch to the bar stools that sat along the marble island between the living room and kitchen. She had style, he could give her that.

"There's beer in the fridge," she told him as she removed the belt and placed it, along with the contents of her pockets such as her phone and money, on the glass coffee table in front of her.

"No thanks," he said and stopped for a moment to think. "Wait, are you even old enough to buy alcohol?"

"I turned twenty-five a few months ago, asshole," she retorted, taking her hair down, then pointed in the direction of her bathroom. "I'm gonna go get a shower, so just make yourself at home."

When she entered the bathroom she shut the door behind her before turning on the light. As she undressed she placed each item of clothing into the hamper attached to the towel rack and then stepped into the walk-in shower. She turned just the hot water on and stayed under it until it gradually got cooler. By that time the entire room looked like a sauna and smelled as if someone had set off a lavender bomb.

She wasted no time in drying herself, but kept the towel wrapped around her naked body as she darted out of the bathroom and into her bedroom where she nearly tripped over one of her many unpacked boxes after shutting the door behind her. It took a moment to find the light switch, but once she did she dropped the towel to the floor a d started going through her clothes in search of anything purple.

Five minutes or so had passed before she settled with a thin purple button-up blouse that she tucked into a pair of black high-rise jeans. She took one look in the mirror, then picked the damp towel up from the floor and proceeded to dry her hair as she made her way back into the living room.

Troy stood with his phone in his hand and eyes on a picture of Lexi with her arms wrapped around a taller man with a bright smile on her face. He turned to see her sliding on a pair of black heels.

"Julius called while you were in the sauna," he said with a light chuckle, grabbing her attention before returning his back to the picture. "Is that your boyfriend?"

"My brother," she said with a short breath, then turned to give him a look that told him not to push. "What'd Julius want?"

"Said he got word there's a turf war going on right now, and he wants to crash the party so we can take those sons of bitches out at once," he answered after turning back to face her. "He wants us to meet him back at the church."

"Alright, cool," she says, once again avoiding his gaze while strapping the belt around her waist, then places her phone in her back pocket.

The walk back to the church was quiet, except for Troy's obnoxious questioning about her shoes.

"I hope you're strapped, Playa," Julius told her from the back seat as she took her place behind the wheel of his car, Troy in the passenger seat. "Cause we're about to go in hard."

"I ain't gonna lie to you, when we get in there it's gonna get rough," Troy tells her as she she pulls out of the church parking lot, going over the directions Julius had given her in her head. "Julius, you sure it's cool we take her instead of Johnny?"

"Troy, you worry too much, the kid'll be fine," Julius reassures him and he turns back around in his seat, doing his best to calm his nerves. "Don't worry, Playa, you stick with Troy and me you'll be fine."

About ten minutes later, Lexi pulled up to the docks where she threw the car in park before stepping out to see the men of various races dressed in red, yellow, and blue all firing shots at one another. After a moment of hesitation she pulled out her gun and headed toward the shootout.


	2. All In a Days Work

Nearly half an hour later she stood with her foot on the throat of a pleading Carnales lieutenant, her gun trained on his forehead, listening closely as he spit his final words in Spanish which she responded with a not so polite fuck you before she pulled the trigger.

"What'd he say?" Troy asked as he approached her while Julius looked around at the bodies that scattered the pavement.

"Nothing important," she answered, putting her gun away.

"What'd I tell ya, Troy?" Julius thrilled, turning his attention back to the two of them. "Girl's a natural."

"Like female Johnny Gat, huh?" he chuckled in response, getting a disapproving shake of the head from her.

"We best be getting our asses outta here before the cops show up," Julius said, making his way toward the blue Zimos parked by the dumpster since his car was nothing but a smoldering hunk of junk at the other end of the docks.

"I'm guessing that wasn't a first for you either, was it?" Troy asked almost hesitantly once Julius was out of earshot.

"Nope," she told him shortly, following Julius toward the vehicle.

Troy watched her carefully, doing his best to figure what little he could out about her without asking fifty million questions like he usually would. It was clear she had a past, one she kept to herself.

The moment she closed the door behind her and started the car a pair of flashing red and blue lights caught her attention.

"Just drive, we need to lose them," Troy told her when she went for her gun and she reluctantly did as he said by flooring the gas pedal.

While Troy and Julius held on for dear life, she focused on going as fast as she possibly could around corner and through back alleys until she lost them.

"We did it, Playa," Julius stated as she pulled into the church parking lot. "Saints Row is ours again, but don't think I'm done with you though. I'm holding a meeting in a few to set things straight with the rest of the crew."

She nodded, watching as both he and Troy stepped out before doing so herself.

Inside the church she looked around to see that the place was just as obscene on the inside as it was on the outside. Graffiti covered walls, broken pews scattered about the floor on either side of the isle, and a broken statue stood lopsided next to where the altar should be. If she we're to be completely honest, it kind of reminded her of the house she had grown up in not far from there.

"Sup chica?" the short Hispanic man who had come at her with a bat during her canonization said with a hand on her shoulder, pulling her out of her wandering thoughts.

"The name's Lexi," she corrected with a sly smile, turning to face the man. He stood at at least 5 foot 3 if not shorter and wore a gold cross on a silver looped chain around his neck.

"Cool. I'm Miguel," he said with a tight lipped smile as he extended a hand which she didn't hesitate to take in her own.

"Listen up, people," Julius started, grabbing everyone's undivided attention from where he stood at the front of the room. "I got some serious shit to discuss. Yeah, we cleared out the Row. You think for a second that'll stop 'em? Unless we wipe all these muthafuckas out, they're gonna keep comin', and they ain't gonna be happy. It ain't gonna be settled until the Carnales, the Rollerz, and the Vice Kings ain't nothin' but a memory. Dex, you got the Carnales. Ever since they hooked up with the Columbians, it's like they own this town, and with that drug money rolling in we can't compete. Be smart how you move against 'em. The Lopez family been runnin' that shit for thirty years. There's a reason they're still around."

"Got it," he said and glanced over at Lexi, catching her eye just briefly before turning his attention back to the older man.

"Troy, you're dealing with the Vice Kings."

"Not a chance," Troy answered, causing Lexi to look at him with a questioning expression.

"Fuck you say?"

"Anyone but them."

"You scared of going against Benjamin King?"

"Man, fuck that," Johnny interrupted whatever it was that he was about to say as he made his way to the front. "I'll take King out."

"Johnny, its not that simple."

"Bullets still kill muthafuckas, right? Doesn't get much simpler than that."

"Keep an eye on ya boy," Julius said, turning back to Dex.

"I don't need a fucking babysitter, Julius," Johnny bitched, but Julius just glared.

"Keep an eye on ya boy," he repeated, more affirmative, and Dex just nodded.

"Who's got the Rollerz?" he asked, changing the subject.

"I do," a woman of Asian descent called, making her way to the front.

"Lin?" Johnny asked, a look of disgust plastered on his face as he looked her up and down. "The fuck you wearin' blue for?"

"I asked Lin to hook up with the Rollerz," Julius said, answering for her. "We don't know much about these fuckas, so I wanted one of us on the inside."

"I didn't think the Rollerz pimped hos," the bald man said thoughtfully as he pushed himself off the wall and almost immediately she snapped and punched him in the face.

"Any other comments?" she asked when she looked back to the others, seeing the expressions on their faces.

"Yeah, when you punch, don't throw your shoulder so much," Johnny replied with a smirk, but she just shrugged it off.

"Shut up, Johnny."

"Hey, I'm just sayin'."

"Once we're done here go talk to one of these guys," Julius said with his eyes on Lexi even though he was addressing the others as well while her made a circling motion with his hand, indicating his lieutenants. "They'll have something for you to do. It's our time now. Let's get this shit started."

With that said, Julius beckoned his lieutenants over to a corner away from the others while Lexi was pulled into their little meet-and-greet they tended to do with all the new blood.

"So what's her story?" Lin asked as she lit the cigarette she'd placed between her lips and glanced back at the young blonde.

"Don't know and quite frankly I couldn't care less," Julius said as he watched her. "The girl's natural born killer, but she for sure ain't dumb. I have a good feeling about this one."

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't you say that about the last one?" Johnny countered with his arms crossed over his chest. "I don't wanna hear you bitchin' when the new girl gets her ass killed." Before Julius could say a word he had already stormed out of the church.

"Anyway," Julius went on as he absentmindedly massaged his temple and went on with what he was going to say before.

On the other side of the church Lexi had been crowded by numerous Saints as they introduced themselves, but she could only memorize a few of their names before she felt another hand on her shoulder that caused everyone to give her some much needed space. When she turned she Julius tucking his phone back into his back pocket.

"You did good today, Playa," he said solemnly and and watched as the others backed further away before he spoke again. "If it's not too much to ask, a close friend of mine may need your assistance with some deals he's got room's down today because he's a but short handed on help. Ya know, make sure he doesn't get capped while the shot's going down."

"Sure, anything to keep me busy," she said without a second thought, causing Julius to return a grateful smile before giving her the directions.

About ten minutes later she found herself approaching an old trailer surrounded by rusted car bodies. As she rounded the multicolored van parked next to the poorly built carport she stopped in her tracks at the sound of gunshots and auickly turned to the right where the sound originated from.

"You think you can steal from me?!" the shirtless man with long red dreads yelled as he shot the other lyingnin the ground, dressed in a black overcoat and dark sunglasses, who was clearly dead. Lexi hung back for a moment, not really in the mood to get shot by the seemingly mad man before her. "You think you can rob me?! You stupid. Fucking. Backstabbing. Piece of shit!" Once he fired the last shot Lexi cleard her throat loud enough to pull his attention away from the bullet ridden man at his feet. "Hey, what's up? Sorry 'bout the mess, princess. Billy here thought it would be a good idea to slim off the top... and, well..." He twitched slightly and and shot him again without taking her eyes off of her. "Let's just say he was wrong."

"Clearly," she said as she counted the bullet holes in Billy's chest. "You're Tobias, right?"

"Yeah, you lookin' for work? Billy here used to watch my back on deliveries, but I don't think he's gonna make it in today. You make sure my deals go smoothly, I cut you in on the action... Whaddya say?"

"I mean, it's not like I have anything better to do," she told him as she checked the time on her phone.

After nearly twenty car loads of Carnales and an hour or two later the vibration of her phone against her thigh caused her to duck back into the can to exchange the rocket launcher for the Tec 9 on her seat before she answered the call.

"I'm kinda busy right now," she said, clearly frustrated with the task at hand as she began firing at the approaching squad car that Tobias had clipped after running the last red light.

" _Jesus, where you at? A firing range_?" a familiar voice asked from the other end of the line and she was forced to look at the number she hadn't recognized.

"Troy?" she questioned after unloading the rest of the clip on on the car before finally falling back into the can. She looked into the rearview mirror just in time to see the flames come from under the hood and engulf the squad car, an explosion following moments later causing the van to leap forward. "How the fuck did you get my number?"

" _I have my ways_ ," he said as if it was no big deal. " _Anyway, rumor is an old liquor store is being used as a Carnales hide out... Head over there and check it out_."

Before she could object he hung up and sent her the address of the liquor store.

"Troy? Isn't he that Keith David lookalike's second?" Tobias asked as he glanced back to see that they were no longer being followed.

"Uh, yeah," she answered after a moment. "Are we done here?"

"Yep, I'm pretty sure that was the last one," he answered, nodding his head as he glanced at the crumpled up list in his hand. "You fine with walking from here?" he asked as he pulled up to the curb. "I gotta run a few _errands_ before I head home, if you know what I mean."

"Sure," she said with a yawn as she opened the door and stepped out.

"See you later, princess," he called out the window before pulling away and she just rolled her eyes as she made her way down the sidewalk.

Once she came upon the abandoned building with faded lettering above the door as few blocks away from where Tobias had dropped her off she knew she was in the right place. Not that the red Compton parked in the alley way wasn't a dead giveaway, there was also a faint sound of a heavy treaded scuffle on the inside that could just barely be made out from where she stood outside the presumably locked door.

She waited, counting silently in jer head as she pulled out her gun and waited until it was completely silent on the other side before she used her shoulder as a battering ram and tore the door off the rusty hinges. It landed on the concrete floor with a loud crash and she stepped inside with her gun raised, ready to shoot the first thing that moves. Her eyes darted around the small but cluttered room to see that there was no one in sight.

Slowly but surely she made her way toward the first hallway where she came face to face with an older man clad in red whose gun was aimed at her. Unfortunately for him she was fast onbher feet as she dodged the bullet and shot him before he could even think about firing a second shot. As soon as his body hit the floor another rounded the corner only to end up with a bullet between his eyes as well.

When she rounded the next corner she saw two other men retreating down the long hall. Her gun rose almost automatically and she shot the third in the back of the head before chasing after the other as he bolted out the door and dove into the Compton. She took aim once again, but he sped off before she could pull the trigger.

She let out a frustrated scream before sliding behind the wheel of the red Cavallaro which conveniently still had the keys in the ignition.

Her grip on the leather steering wheel tightened as she doubled the speed limit just to get next to the Compton flying through traffic, her knuckles turning white. He looked over with his eyes nearly bulging out of his head as she turned hard and slammed into him, causing him to go off the road a little ways. She pulled back momentarily, giving him enough room to get back into the road as she pulled her gun up and collided with him again.

An ear ringing shot rang out in the small space of the car and she watched as the window shattered and the Carnales lieutenant's body jerked as the bullet pierced his brain, causing the vehicle to run off into the ditch where it came to a complete stop. She eventually let out a sigh of relief as she lowered her weapon and proceeded at the regular speed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just finished my pre enrollment forms for next year so shout out to whoever's actually reading this, updates should be coming along A LOT faster


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spanish to English translations at the end.

"You come here often?" a voice to her right asked, causing her brows to knit together momentarily before she turned to see Miguel looking at her with a cheeky ass grin on his face as he pulled the barstool underneath him. Her expression softened.

"Dude, that's the cheesiest pickup line I've heard all night," she said with a light chuckle as she looked past him over his shoulder where she saw Vasquez, Silos, and Jamal along with a few other Saints whose names she hadn't caught, watching the scantily clad stripper work her way around the pole. "You guys been here long?"

"I'd say about ten, twenty minutes, give or take," he said after glancing back at his friends. "I saw you and figured you wouldn't wanna be drinking alone in VK territory."

"I can take care of myself," she said reassuringly as she ran her thumb over the rim of her glass.

"Clearly," he said as he waved the bartender over to refill the glass he'd placed on the bar. "You know, we've been trying to lock the Row down for months now and you weren't even a Saint for five minutes before you went out putting those fuckers in their place."

"I don't like wasting time," she said shortly, raising her glass to her lips.

"True that." He nodded in agreement and then found himself squinting at her slightly. "I feel like I know you from somewhere," he said finally with a thoughtful expression on his face. "Don't you have an older brother? Liam, right?"

"Had," she corrected before looking away. "But yeah, he um... died a couple weeks ago."

"Shit, I'm sorry," he tried, but she just shrugged it off considering the number of times she'd heard that line of complete bullshit in just the past week since she'd been back. "So, how'd he-?"

"Trust me, I am nowhere near drunk enough to go there," she interrupted after slamming the rest of her drink and then turned to the man on the other side of the bar who noticed and looked up from the glass he was cleaning with a white cloth to meet her seemingly sober expression, although he knew she was anything but. She knew it was only a matter of time before she'd had one too many drinks and decided it'd be a grand idea to tell Miguel her entire sob story. She'd already made that mistake once before, she wasn't about to do it again. "I'm heading out, Barry."

"You aren't driving drunk, are you?" he asked with a fatherly tone, the disapproval on his face eminent.

"I might not be right upstairs lately, but I'm not stupid," she said as she waved her phone. "I'm just gonna call a taxi, head home and probably crash on my couch."

"Alright, you just be careful, sweetheart," he told her, tossing the cloth back over his shoulder before placing the glass on the shelf with the others.

"Yeah, yeah, I will," she muttered as she strode off toward the door.

Once outside she blew out a hot breath into the cold night air as she punched in the number from memory, making her way down the sidewalk. It rang twice before she heard the prerecorded message that told her the taxi would be there shortly, but when she looked at the map displaying her location and the taxi's she saw that it was a good ten miles away in Huntersfield. She sighed and pushed the phone back into her pocket before heading east.

The next morning found Lexi with her head beneath a pillow to block out the sound of someone pounding rather loudly on her door in hopes that maybe, just maybe, they'll take the hint and go away.

Unfortunately for her the further she sunk down under the massive comforter the louder it seemed to get. She couldn't tell if it was brought on by her slight hangover or if it was actually getting louder and she sure as hell didn't know how much she could take before she snapped.

"Go away," she groaned into the pillow, her fist clenched tight although she knew she wouldn't be heard. Another moment passed before she chucked the pillow at the wall and threw her legs over the side of the bed. Seeing that it was later than she had thought she let out an exaggerated sigh and pulled her semi messy hair into a loose ponytail.

"Took you long enough," Troy said after she opened the door.

"Well good morning, Troy," she said with mock politeness as she shut the door behind her. "Please, come on in."

"It's nearly noon," he said as she pushed past him and made her way over to the cupboard where she pulled out a small glass and placed it on the marble counter top. "Most people are out of bed by now."

"Well I ain't most people," she told him as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes and turned back to him. It'd been a little over a week since she'd been back yet she still hadn't adjusted to the different time zone.

"You look rough, kid," he told her with a worried look that she didn't care too much for. "Ya know, if you ever need anyone to talk to-"

"No," she interjected with a shake of her head. "We're not doing this, I don't need you to be my shrink."

"Okay, fine, I understand, but if you ever-" he tried, but her glare cut him off abruptly. The look she gave put the fear of God in him, whether he accepted it or not, he was deathly afraid of the woman before him. He cleared his thoughts for the moment and remembered the sole purpose for being there. She watched as he reached into his pocket to retrieve the folded piece of paper and handed it to her.

"The fuck's this?" she asked, studying the scribbled names and numbers that she could just barely make out.

"Just the essential numbers you might wanna program into your phone so you know who's calling," he said as he thought about how she reacted the day before when he called. She squinted at the chicken scratch as she made her way into the living room where she grabbed her phone and handed it to him.

"While you're doing that," she started as he began entering the numbers into her phone. "I'm gonna go get dressed seeing as the chances of me getting to sleep in today are already fucked." He chuckled at that and she disappeared into her bedroom.

With a short sigh he entered the last contact before he found his gaze drifting away from the phone in his hand to the photograph he'd spotted the day prior. There was no doubt the pair were brother and sister, the resemblance was uncanny, however, something about the tall brunette threw him off. Somehow, Troy was certain he had seen his face somewhere before, but he couldn't quite place it.

He was all of a sudden pulled from his roaming thoughts when he heard the bedroom door open again and she came out dressed in a pair of faded gray jeans and a purple spaghetti strap tank top while brushing the knots out of her hair.

"You know you can sit down, right?" she asked when she noticed he was still standing in the living room as she ducked into the bathroom where she retrieved a small bottle of ibuprofen from the medicine cabinet before heading into the kitchen. He watched her with a wary expression as she filled a glass with water and leaned against the counter. "So, what's on the agenda for today?"

"Julius was saying he might have something in the works, but he didn't really elaborate," he said and a grimace crossed her face as she washed the pill down her throat with the water. "I don't know much about the others though."

She nodded and made her way over to the closet beside the door to retrieve her leather jacket that seemed to fit her like a glove when she pulled her arms through the sleeves.

"Do you mind taking me to Rim Jobs in Chinatown?" she asked with a hint of hesitation as she slipped on her heels, one hand bracing the wall.

"Not at all, but I'm pretty sure that place has been condemned for a while now," Troy replied with a small smile as he handed her phone back and watched as she went over to where she pulled a set of keys from a drawer. She checked to see if she'd had any missed calls and with a tired sigh she shoved the phone into her back pocket before grabbing her gun from where she left it on the counter.

"Sounds about right," she said after a moment and he followed her out the door.

Outside she spotted the purple Zicron parked on the curb that must've been his and looked back at him with a questioning gaze seeing as there's a designated spot for parking right next to the building. He didn't seem to notice so she just shook her head and waited for him to unlock the doors. Inside, the seats were made of worn leather and smelled of pine. She got in and closed the door behind her, relaxing into the seat as Troy slipped behind the wheel and turned the key in the ignition.

As he pulled away from the curb Lexi watched tiredly out the semi foggy window, watching as the buildings passed by until they arrived at their destination.

"This the place?" Troy asked when he pulled up to the questionable building. She looked up from her phone and nodded before stepping out onto the cracked pavement. He too stepped out and looked around, taking in the very rare sight of the bare streets, the sun just barely peeking over one of the many abandoned buildings in the district before turning back to see her shoulder the door open. 

The small room was cluttered with old newspapers and seemingly empty takeout boxes that made it quite clear that no one had been there for a while.

"Jesus," she muttered to herself at the putrid stench that smacked her in the face when she walked in, making her way to the back.

Troy grimaced and suspected what looked to be a half-eaten burrito with a layer of mold next to the register, only to quickly stumble back when it moved, or so he had thought. Disgusted, he made his way into the back where she stood behind the car covered with a gray tarp.

"This your ride?" he questioned. A small smile graced her lips before she gripped the tarp and pulled it to the floor, revealing the jet black 1970 Plymouth Roadrunner GTX convertible. She ran a gentle hand over the fine paint job on the trunk, making her way around to the driver side. "Wow," was all he could say, taking in the beauty of the exquisite vehicle one would only think to dream of.

"You like?" she asked as if it were an actual question, bending over the door to pop the hood. "I spent at least half of my teenage years underneath the hood of this baby."

"And the other half?" he questioned with a thoughtful expression when he rounded the car to where she propped the hood open.

"Racing to prove a point," she answered with a sharp tone.

"So, d'you ever get your point across?" he pushed and she snapped out of whatever seemingly happy daze she'd been in, shooting him down with a soul piercing gaze.

"Why do you ask so many damn questions?" The look she gave him answered the question so he held up his hands to surrender.

"I dont mean to pry-"

"Then don't," she shot back, redirecting her attention someplace else.

An awkward silence briefly fell over them as she leaned forward and blew a thin layer of dust off the ancient motor. Her eyes darted around, practically inspecting every inch before pulling back and closing the hood. With a sigh she turned back to Troy looking at her questioningly, brows knitted together.

 _Bipolar_ was the word that came to mind, but he kept his mouth shut sensing it goes a helluva lot deeper than she's letting on. She was about to say something, but thought better of it and made her way back to the trunk as his phone began to ring.

He sighed as he pulled it from his pocket, a flash of irritation crossed his features when he saw who was calling. Lexi rose a brow, a question already forming on her lips, but was cut off when he held up a finger to silence her as he walked out and rounded the corner.

Troy walked until he knew for sure he was out of earshot before he answered and held it to his ear only to quickly pull it away, holding it as far as he possibly could away momentarily as the man on the other end of the line practically screamed at him through the phone. Whatever it was, he was almost certain it wasn't any good.

When he returned the garage door was open and Lexi was preoccupied with securing the license plate in its place. He stood behind her unnoticeably and squinted slightly to make out the plate numbers that read: **LA R31NA**.

He wasn't sure where exactly he had seen it before she stood and turned to face him, causing him to lose his train of thought.

"Who was that?" she questioned as she tossed the wrench into the toolbox.

"Huh?" he asked and she just rolled her eyes before turning back to shut her trunk. "Oh, that, uh... one of the boys called 'bout some of the Los Carnales picking a fight downtown." The lie rolled off his tongue so smoothly he almost believed it himself. 

"The Carnales," she corrected under her breath, nodding in acknowledgment as she made her way back around the driver side where she opened the door and slipped in behind the wheel.

"So, you going to the church?" he asked when she pulled the key from her jacket pocket and placed it in the ignition. She thought for a moment as she wrapped her fingers around the steering wheel for the first time in years.

"Maybe later," she answered, meeting his gaze just briefly before looking down at her phone. With a sigh she realized there was still nothing whatsoever. "I have some shit I've gotta take care of first."

"Okay, but don't be texting and driving, you hear?" he pressed as she turned the key in the ignition, listening to the soft purr of the engine coming to life. She looked at him and rolled her eyes, making a point of tossing her phone onto the passenger seat.

"Don't worry _dad_ ," she said sarcastically causing him to laugh lightly. "I'll catch you later."

With that she shifted gears and sped out onto the open road without another word, leaving Troy alone with his wondering thoughts. He waited until she was gone before he took the pack of cigarettes from his back pocket and placed one between his lips, lighting it with ease. Exhaling a thin cloud of gray smoke he shook his head somewhat regrettingly and made his way back to his car. _He was just doing his job_ , he reminded himself although he wasn't so sure anymore.

It was half past noon when Lexi pulled up onto the curb in front of the rundown two story house she had once called home. Her heart fluttered against her rib cage as she threw the car in park and pulled the key from the ignition, not once taking her eyes off the house. She snatched her phone from the seat before stepping out of the car and made her way toward the door.

The all too familiar feeling of dread washed over her as she stepped onto the porch, the old boards creaking beneath her feet. She hesitantly wrapped her fingers around the brass door knob only to quickly pull away as if she had been zapped. Looking around she saw that there wasn't a single soul in sight, and knelt down to retrieve the spare key hidden under the tacky welcome mat.

 _Typical_ , she thought to herself with a small smile that soon faded as per usual. 

A cold chill ran down her spine after she shouldered the door open and found herself looking around the small living room of the house that had once been inhabited by the only blood family she had left.

The ratty sofa sat in the same place it had always been near the kitchen bar. Empty beer bottles littered the surface of the coffee table and the floor at the far corner of the sofa. The ashtray was full to the brim, causing her to wince at the thought of her brother becoming someone she knew she wouldn't recognize if he was still alive.

With a heavy sigh her gaze shifted upward and she could have sworn she'd seen a man's silhouette atop the stairs.

"Hello?" she started with a cautious tone, now standing at the bottom of the stairs. Complete silence. "Is somebody up there?" Again, silence.

She listens intently, leaning against the railing to balance herself as she removed her heels and carefully placed them on the floor without making a sound. Keeping a watchful eye on the top of the stairs she pulled her gun from its holster, instinctively wrapping her finger around the trigger, ready to shoot as she made her way up the stairs.

It was said to be haunted, the house, but she never _really_ believed it. Quite frankly, she didn't want to, so she refused the thought. She hated the house, if she were to be completely honest, and she hated it with a passion. Just being there made her stomach knot. These for walls, after all, held so many memories, more bad than good. When she left she swore she'd never come back, but here she was, looking for answers she knew she wouldn't find.

As she neared the top of the steps she froze at the distinct sound of movement at the end of the hall. Closing her eyes she held her breath and counted backwards from ten before exhaling through her nose. Her eyes fluttered open, a brief moment of tranquility falling over her.

Now fully alert, she finally made her way to the top of the stairs and down the hall in the direction of the bedroom that she last remembered to be her brother's. At the door she held her breath, seeing that it was just slightly cracked.

Slowly but surely she pushed the door open, revealing the disheveled bed in the center of the master bedroom. She entered slowly, gun still in hand. Peering around the door she found herself jumping back as the small creature darted out of the shadows and ran across her bare feet. She caught a brief glimpse of the black and white mouse as it skirted across the floor like a bat out of hell, disappearing behind the old bookshelf.

With a sigh of relief she finally put her gun away and moved further into the room where she spotted the Holy Bible closed on the nightstand, the small silver cross necklace of Liam's lies on top.

A tentative hand reached out and she grasped the thin chain, sitting carefully on the edge of the bed with the cross in the palm of her hand.

She and her brother hadn't left off on the greatest terms, seeing as how she up and left for the Dominican Republic at the young age of sixteen without leaving so much as a note, but that didn't mean she loved him any less. Of course they never got along as well as she would like to believe, and when they did it never lasted for long, but whether they were on good terms or bad they were still family. He was the one and only person she knew she could trust in this shittly town she had once called home, and now he was gone.

The ringing of her phone pulled her from her dreary thoughts, and she immediately dug it from her pocket, then frowned at the caller ID. It was just Lin. Her thumb hovered for a moment, contemplating answering before she reluctantly did so and held it to her ear.

" _Hey, it's Lin_ ," the woman on the other end said as if she hadn't already known. " _Meet me at the arena parking lot, we gotta start making a move against the Rollerz_." Before Lexi had the chance to reply she had already hung up. She stared down at her phone blankly, thinking the words over before she realized she didn't have a choice.

After a moment she shoved her phone into her pocket with the necklace still in hand and made her way back down the stairs, not forgetting to grab her shoes on the way out.

Later when she pulled into the arena parking lot she spotted Lin making her way toward the blue and white Voxel with two Rollerz in tow. Their eyes met just briefly before Lexi decided to keep driving, disappearing around the corner, out of sight. Lin breathed a sigh of relief when she noticed the boys hadn't paid no mind.

After careful consideration she decided to park as close as she possibly could without looking suspicious. She put the car in park and glanced up at the darkening clouds moving in. Seeing that it was about to rain she kept the car running and pressed one of the many buttons under the dash, watching as the roof unfolded over her head and descended into place with a tell tale click. Turning the key in the switch she looked down at herself and thought best to cover the purple tank top she wore beneath her jacket before stepping out of the car.

"That's a sweet ride, Lin," she heard one of the guys comment as she peered around the corner.

"Uh huh," Lin replied, showing the least bit of interest.

"Who tuned it for you?" the second questioned and a hint of irritation crept onto Lin's face before she dismissed it with the unnoticeable shake of the head.

"No one, I did it myself," she answered and her voice was calm, but Lexi saw through it, as she opened her door.

"The spoiler looks like Donnie's work," the first stated with his arms crossed over his chest.

"No way, that underglow screams Ricky Liu," the other said as he squatted and looked under the front of the car.

"Yeah, I guess it does."

"What is this, fuckin' third grade?" she asked dubiously with a sharp glare that caught them off guard.

"Whaddya mean?" he asked with a thoughtful look.

"Forget it," she said feeling defeated by their stupidity as she waved them away. "I'll see ya tomorrow."

They both shrugged at one another before stalking off in Lexi's direction. She ducked back into the shadow of the building and waited for them to pass.

"Dude, she totally wants you," the bald one said with a knowing smirk causing Lexi to wrinkle her nose in disgust.

"Assholes," Lin muttered as she shut the car door and placed a cigarette between her lips.

"I'm assuming they're all like that?" Lexi questioned as she approached the other woman. Lin turned to her and nodded, lighting her cigarette with one hand blocking the slight breeze.

"I swear to God, we're not going to be able to kill these bastards fast enough," she commented after a particularly long drag and it was Lexi's turn to nod in agreement. "Aside from macho bullshit, I haven't heard much," Lin went on while the younger woman listened intently. "The only interesting news I got is that a shipment of high performance cars is coming in here shortly. It's not much, I know, so we're gonna make the best of it. Jack the truck carrying the cars before it makes it's delivery and take it to Samson. He runs a garage in the Row just off the intersection, shouldn't be hard to miss. He'll load up the cars with a few surprises, then finish the delivery. Now get outta here before someone sees us."

She took a quick glance around before getting into her car and driving away. Lexi waited until she was gone and then made her way back to her own car. As predicted, a light rain had begun to fall as she started the car and backed out of the parking space. She stopped just before pulling out onto the road, waiting for the few cars to pass as she check her phone. A rather hard thud against her window made her jump slightly, causing her to turn and face the familiar smirk on the other side.

Shaking her head with the least bit of amusement she rolled her window down and Miguel rested his head on his arm against the door.

"Where you headed?" he asked and she nodded to her right.

"Get in," she said instead. He nodded and walked around to the front of the car, pulling his wet hood off his head as he slipped in the passenger seat, revealing his shaggy brown hair he usually kept covered with his purple beanie.

"Thanks, Carlos was supposed to pick me up and hour ago, but never showed," he explained apologetically.

"Carlos?"

"Oh, my younger brother." She chuckled lightly as she shook her head and pulled out of the parking lot. "So, where we going?"

"Well, I was just headed out to jack a shipment of cars for Lin if you're up for that." She turned to him and guessed he was anything but. "Okay, you know how to drive?"

"Psht, do I know how to drive?" he asked with a mocking tone to which she rose an eye bow, the question still in the air. "Yes, I know how to drive."

"Good," she said with a sigh of relief as she pulled over on the side of the highway and threw the car in park, but left the engine running. "You think you can drive this over to the church without crashing?" His eyes went wide as if she had just asked him to do the unthinkable. "Look, all you gotta do is drive the speed limit and don't touch the NOS, it's not so hard," she explained. "It's either that or drive the truck carrying the cars, then you'll most likely have the wannabe tuners on your ass all the way to Samson's."

He watched as she looked out her window and pulled her gun from the holster before turning back to him. She rose a brow in question as he looked past her and took note of the black Peterliner with a heavy Rollerz escort coming their way.

"You sure you've got this?" he asked, somewhat doubtful as she opened her door and stepped out of the car.

"This ain't my first rodeo," she said with a reassuring smile before closing the door behind her.

Hesitantly, he slipped into the driver seat, keeping his eyes on her as she takes aim at the first car, killing the driver and his passenger without the slightest bit of remorse. He watched for a moment longer, a mix of amazement and fear on his face before he pulled the car out of park and sped away from the scene.

She looked back at the sound of tires screeching, shaking her head with little to no amusement before she turned back to see the second car barreling toward her. The man driving swerved when she moved in an attempt to hit her, but instead missed and crashed into the cement divider. She did her best to suppress her somewhat amused laughter as the man stepped from the car with a bloody face, his own gun drawn.

He opened his mouth to speak, but before the words had come out she pulled the trigger. His body twitched and jerked as the bullet passed between his eyes, sending his lifeless body crashing to a heap on the ground.

She lowered her weapon and turned in time to see the truck coming to a screeching halt only inches from her. Without a second thought, she approached the driver side and opened the door to find the middle aged Hispanic man with an utterly terrified expression on his slightly tanned face.

" _Por favor, no me hagas daño, Señorita_ ," he pleaded with tear filled eyes. " _Tengo esposa y dos hijos-_ " She cut him off abruptly by holding her gun to his head, causing the tears to flood down his cheeks and he began to ramble on with a quivering lip.

" _Salir del vehículo_ ," she demanded when she glanced to her right to see the rest of the escort speeding toward them. " _No te haré daño, solo sal, por favor_." At first he was hesitant, but soon came to realize it was either so or die. The moment it clicked inside his head he almost immediately jumped from the cab of the truck, thanking her profusely as she took his seat behind the wheel.

She just nodded and waved him off as she slammed the door without sparing him a second glance, her eyes scanning over the dash briefly before she found the right switch and the engine roared to life. Putting it out of park she shifted gears and floored the gas pedal, keeping her eyes on the large side mirror to her left. She kept a watchful eye on it until the gunfire grew louder and the final two cars neared the cab from either side.

Without a moment to spare she took a hard left, pinning the first car up against the cement divider, crushing it to the point of no return. Once it was engulfed in flames she pulled away to the far right, just barely missing the wall.

She loosened her grip on the wheel and flexed the stiffness out of her fingers before she could regain full control. It had been quite some time since she had last driven a truck quite the size of this, but it was like second nature to her.

Bullets began ricocheting off the other side of the cab, reminding her just what she had gotten herself into. She turned her slightly, just barely missed by the bullet that shattered her window as she ducked her head.

"Shit," she muttered under her breath as she reached for her gun, but it fell to the floor on the passenger side. She sat up straight, seeing the man in the blue Mockingbird reloading the semi automatic. Her grip tightened on the steering wheel once again as she jerked it in his direction, catching him off guard, crushing him and the car against the wall.

Straightening the wheel she managed to get the truck back on the road, doing what best she could to return to the speed limit. With one final glance back into the side mirror she saw that she was finally in the clear.

When she arrived at the garage she saw Troy leaning against the wall with a cigarette between his lips. He looked up from his phone when she stepped out and tucked her gun into her holster.

"Is Samson here?" she asked, slamming the door to the truck shut with the keys still in her hand. Before he could answer the man himself exited the garage, cleaning the excess grease from his hands with a blue cloth.

"Troy said you were fast but not that damn fast," the dark skinned man spoke, and when he looked up he stopped in his tracks. "Hold up. Do I know you?"

She just shook her head and tossed him the keys. It wasn't the truth, but it wasn't a lie either. He'd known _of_ her, like most, but he didn't actually know her. Nobody did, as far as she was concerned.

"Kinda thought they would be blue or some shit," Troy commented as he examined the crimson colored cars on the lift. She looked back, somewhat surprised she hadn't noticed before, then turned back with a slight shrug.

"Guess they're dumber than they look," she said as she rolled her shoulders.

"I can't say I disagree," Troy chuckled lightly, his gaze just briefly meeting hers before his phone began to ring. He hesitated momentarily before answering and walking away from the garage. With a sigh she turned back to see that Samson looking the cars over.

"Not gonna lie, I half expected the cars to be riddled with bullets and on the verge of explosion, but I stand corrected," Samson commented with an amused grin.

"Yeah, well, this life isn't exactly new to me," she said with a shrug as she checked the time again. She sighed and tucked her phone away before looking back to him. "Do you by any chance know how long this'll take?"

"I'd say anywhere from an hour to three, maybe four with the damage to the cab, but I could always tell them someone tried to rob the truck," he said as he continued to wipe the grease from his hands. "You got somewhere you need to be?"

"Yeah, actually," she said and waited a moment before walking down the street toward the church.

She stopped near the church, seeing that her car was parked out front. From where she was standing it looked as it had when she'd last seen it, but she knew that looks could be deceiving.

Taking a deep breath she made her way to the parking lot, cautiously walking around the car to see that, to her surprise, it was still in one piece.

"Yo, hermana," Miguel called from where he stood leaning against the wall. When she looked up he tossed the keys to which she just barely caught. "No worries, I double checked and there's not a single scratch on it." His smile was almost too confident for her liking, almost as if he had practiced to perfect it. She just nodded, shrugging off her jacket before tossing it through the window.

"Hey," another familiar voice behind her spoke softly and she knew it wasn't Miguel. When she turned she found herself standing face to face with Dex only a few feet away from her. "I never would've imagined you were into American muscle," he commented without taking his eyes off here. She turned back to Miguel just in tome to catch his wink before he stalked off.

"There's a lot you don't know about me," she turned back and smiled brightly, surprised by her own words.

"You free this Saturday night around, I don't know, sixish?" he asked coolly as she leaned back against her car. "Maybe I could get to know you a little better, how's that sound?"

"That was smooth," she stated with an amused smile. "Real smooth. Did you practice that in the mirror this morning?"

"That obvious, huh?" he only half joked, doing his damndest to cover the slight blush on his cheeks.

"Just a had," she played along, a genuine smile still playing on her lips. "It's actually kinda cute."

"You think so?" he questioned, mostly to reassure himself and she nodded. "Alright, follow me."

"Where are we going?" she asked somewhat skeptical, but still pushed off of her car and followed him inside the church. He didn't say a word as he led her into the back to his makeshift office.

The desk was littered with a ton of papers that had yet to be sorted and filed away. He rounded the desk and stood in front of the large map pinned to the wall with various pictures, mostly of Hispanic men dressed in red posing with guns and custom cars. Some faces she recognized and others she didn't.

"So, check this out," he spoke, gesturing toward his setup and she moved closer, standing shoulder to shoulder with him. "The Carnales were the first organized gang in the city. The way Julius tells it, they owned the while damn town before Benjamin King stepped up against them."

"That's Angelo, right?" she asked, pointing to the picture of the man holding the assault rifle, and he was taken aback by the question.

"Uh, yeah," he answered, giving her a side long look as she still had her eyes fixed upon the various photos. "You know him?"

"Nah," she said with a shake of her head, turning to look at him, seeing he wasn't at all convinced. "I don't know him, but my brother was close with Hector when they were kids." He just nodded and turned back to the wall, regaining his previous train of thought.

"I'll tell ya what though, I ain't worried about their history so much as I am the fact that A: the Lopez brothers are crazy muthafuckas, and B: Victor, their enforcer, survived a dozen VK drive-bus. Sounds pretty bad right?" he went on but she just shrugged although he hadn't seen. "Now add in that the Carnales are backed by the largest drug cartel in the world, and I think you'll understand why we're playing it safe instead of pullin' a Johnny. We cut off their income first, then we go for Hector. Sound good?"

"I mean, sure, what could go wrong," she answered with a somewhat sarcastic smile and he just nodded absentmindedly.

"I got Troy goin' into Carnales territory to find out where their main plant is, but I already know where to score product. They have tabs here, here, and here," he explained, pointing out the three locations on the lower side of the map she remembered to be Coppperton. "If you're up for it, taking them out should distract the Carnales long enough for us to find out where they're making this shit."

"Oh, I'm always down for blowing shit up," she remarked.

"Then you better get going then," he chuckled and she turned to walk away, only just stopping at the door before she peered back over her shoulder.

"So, Saturday at sixish?" she asked, causing him to turn with a questioning expression of his own, wondering whether or not he had heard her correctly.

"Did I just hear that right?" he asked himself, not quite realizing he'd said it aloud until her soft chuckle filled the silence. She nodded again to his surprise, a faint smile crossing his features. "Uh, yeah, I mean, if you want to-"

"Alright, I'll see you later then," she said before she made her way out of the surprisingly empty church.

The next few hours passed by rather quickly and Lexi found herself back at her apartment reconditioning her hair for the third time just to be sure she had gotten all the blood out. It'd been quite some time since she'd been covered in blood that wasn't her own, but she hadn't forgotten what a Bitch it was to wash out of her hair, let alone her clothes.

She watched as the last bit of blood and soap washed down the drain before turning the water completely off. It was almost hard to believe that years ago she had been such a sweet, innocent child who wouldn't think harm a fly, and was now a cold hearted killer who didn't hesitate to put a bullet between someone's eyes. She had her mother to thank for that.

As she removed the towel from her face she looked up at her reflection in the somewhat steamy mirror, those piercing green eyes looking back at her with what she could only comprehend as disappointment. It's not like she gave two shots about killing those men, because she couldn't possibly care less, and that's what bothered her the most. She should be bothered, at least a little bit, but it was clear she was anything but.

Pushing the thought from her mind she wrapped the towel around her naked body as crossed the hall to her bedroom. It was just past seven and she had yet to hear back from Lin, or anyone for that matter.

With a tired sigh made her way over to her bed and retrieved her phone from her coat pocket. She started scrolling through her contacts, not recognizing the better half of them until she came across Lin's. Just as she was about to call her she was receiving an incoming call from the woman herself.

" _Come to the nightclub_ ," Lin started and Lexi could just barely make out the music blaring over the sound system somewhere in the distance on the other end of the line. " _Samson's done workin' on those cars, and we gotta talk about what we're gonna do with 'em_." There was a short pause and Lexi waited for her to hang up in case there was something else she had to say. " _And wear something... cute_ ," the older woman added before finally hanging up, leaving a sincere smile on the other's face.

Lexi took a deep breath and tossed her phone back onto the bed before heading over to her closet. Most of her wardrobe consisted of sweatpants, loose fitting shots and jeans. She had a number to chose from in the the dress department, some more revealing than others, yet very few from which she could actually chose since Lin was technically undercover.

She couldn't wear the black and yellow sundress because of the Vice Kings, nor could she wear her favorite deep blue backless dress due to the Rollerz. And just when she thought she couldn't hate them anymore than she already had.

After what felt like an eternity and a half she settled with her second choice, a mid-thigh length black mesh skater dress. As she stood in front of the full body mirror, looking herself over she began to second guess herself. It was becoming a habit of her lately, one she wasn't too fond of.

She took a deep breath, slowly raking her fingers through her soft hair over she shoulders as she continued to look at the stranger in the mirror before her. With a sigh she turned and grabbed her jacket from the bed before walking out of the apartment.

Once outside in her car she rested her forehead against the steering wheel after starting the engine. She had just barely caught the and of one of Valderamma's many broadcasts about the growing gang violence in Stilwater before she shut the radio off and made her way over to the nightclub.

The place was packed, that she'd noticed when she walked through the doors, the bass line wracking her chest as she made her way through the strobe lit darkness in search of Lin, who was nowhere in sight. A moment apssed and she felt a hand firmly grip her ads. When She turned she was ready to swing until she saw that it was the woman she'd been looking for.

"Try not to look so conspicuous," Lin whispered next to her ear as she usgered her onto the dance floor. She placed her hands on either side of Lexi's firm hips, pulling her closer as she wound her arms around her neck. "You did good, but I'm not through with you yet." Lexi rose a brow to that, a smirk playing on her ruby red lips.

"Is that so?" Lexi questioned and Lin stepped in a little closer, leaving only a paper thin space between their lips, eyes locking on one another's.

"I wouldn't say so if I didn't mean so," she whispered in a tone that sent a shiver down Lexi's spine, lips lightly brushing hers before she pulled back to see the slight blush on her cheeks. "Those cars you stole have been rigged to blow once the engine reaches a high enough temperature. Now, from what I've heard you're one helluva driver, so I need you to make sure those cars get nice and hot."

"How exactly am I supposed to do that?"

"There's a race going down in the suburbs tonight, and I think you should give them some tough competition. I know those guys, if you're in the lead for the final stretch, they're gonna hit the NOS to blow past you. When they do, _boom_." Lin chuckled softly, sending yet another chill down her spine. "As soon as those cars are wrecked, get the hell outta there. You're no good to us dead."

"Anything else I should know?" Lexi asked with a sly grin, her head tilted just slightly. "Before I head out?"

"Well..." Lin hesitated, not so confident in her next words. "I asked Troy to go with you, ya know, just in case-"

"You what?" she exclaimed, eyes wide as if she had just been slapped across the face.

"Look, there's a reason we're the only women in the gang, and it ain't just because Gat's a major douche. If anything happened to you tonight your blood would be on my hands," Lin explained without going too far into detail, Lexi's expression softening, sadly understanding the reality of her unspoken words. "So he's just tagging along to make sure nothing happens to you."

"I can take care of myself," she stated but Lin just shook her head with a small smile.

"There's no doubt about that, but I don't trust any of the Rollerz as far as I can throw them," Lin remarked, causing Lexi to laugh lightheartedly at the thought.

"Alright, fine," she gave in, returning a warm smile.

"Thanks for the dance," Lin added shortly after leaning in and placing a soft kiss to Lexi's cheek. She pulled back with a satisfied grin, taking note of the blush filling the blonde's cheeks. "Now I've gotta get going, you have a race to win."

With a genuine smile of her own, Lin turned and walked away. Lexi waited until she was out of sight before turning toward the bar. After all, she was definitely gonna need a drink or two if she planned to survive the night, but instead ran into a solid torso.

"Sorry, I-" she started, but her apology died on her lips when she looked up at the all too familiar Asian man. Morimoto. His once blonde hair now dark brown, eyes still held a hint of the lustful gaze she was never too fond of, and his face was roughly the same as it had been when the two last encountered one another. She stepped back almost immediately, but he grabbed her wrist to stop her.

"Long time no see, Alex," he taunted with a sinister smirk, knowing how very well she hated the nickname. "Love what you did with your hair, by the way. It looks good on you."

"Don't fucking touch me," she hissed, relieving herself of his strong grip before taking a step back. "What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing," Morimoto countered, taking a step closer.

"It's none of your damn business," Lexi fired back, a disdainful expression adorning her face.

"Is that any way to speak to an old friend?" he questioned with mock innocence.

"That's just it, we're not friends!" she exclaimed, half expecting someone to notice, but thankfully no one did. "We never were, nor will we ever be." His face was suddenly devoid of all emotions, looking as if he was finally at a loss for words. She saw this as her one opportunity and turned to walk away, but his accented voice stopped her in her tracks.

"You know I didn't kill him," he stated, his tone sincere. She looked back to him and saw her pain reflected in his eyes. The man she loved, the man she watched burn to death in his car while she stood helplessly by, realizing she was far too late. Just the _thought_ of him made her heart break into a million tiny pieces all over again.

"I know," she said after a moment, releasing a shaky breath she hadn't known she'd been holding.

Their eyes met again just briefly before she tore her gaze away and made a b-line for the door. This time he didn't stop her, just watched as she walked away. It was only a matter of time before they meet again.

Her heart hurt with a pain she had became very accustomed to within the past year as she made her way back to her car, ignoring the alarms going off inside her head. She knew he hadn't followed her all the way from Tokyo just to tell her what she'd already known, he was stupid, but not that stupid.

"There you are," Troy piped up from where he stood next to her car, leaning against his own, stubbing his cigarette out with his shoe. The smile on his face soon faded when he took notice of the distant look on hers. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," she lied as she opened her door and slipped in behind the wheel. He just nodded and hesitated a moment before getting into the car with her. Watching her as she pulled out of the parking lot he sensed something was off, but he couldn't quite place it.

He watched her intently as she skillfully maneuvered through the bustling traffic. Something about the way she drove reminded him of Lin, but he figured now wouldn't be the time to compare the two. Instead, something at the corner of his eye grabbed his attention, pulling his gaze from her face to the tattoo on the inside of her left wrist.

"Who's Jesse?" he asked suddenly, speaking before thinking. Her shoulders tensed and her posture became rigid, but she kept her eyes on the road.

"Jesse was my son," she said finally, loosening her iron grip on the steering wheel when she realized her knuckles were now ghostly white. As much as she hated opening up to the man she barely knew, she hated the silence even more. "I named him after my best friend, actually."

"You said _was_?" he questioned, half expecting her to shut down and ask him why he asked so many questions.

"Yeah, _was_ ," she said sadly, sparing him a side glance before pursing her lips into a thin line and forcing herself to look anywhere but at him. "I was in an accident that nearly killed me while I was pregnant, but somehow I survived it. _We_ survived it." Troy, for the first time in a long time, was at a loss for words. "When he was born he couldn't breathe on his own, so the doctors decided to put him on a ventilator thinking it'd be a temporary solution until he learned to breathe on his own, but..." Her voice trailed off midsentence, but she knew he was smart enough to put two and two together. And so he did.

She looked back to him seeing a mirrored image of her own emotions displayed on his face. He was finally starting to understand her, finally getting her to open up to him, but he wasn't about to press the matter.

"So, about this race..." she opted, changing the subject to which he was thankful for.

"I hope you know who you're up against in this race," he said nonchalantly, seeing that they were getting close to their location. "The Rollerz take that shit to heart."

"Clearly you don't know who _I_ am," she stated with a knowing smirk on her lips. He smiled back weakly, covering the sickening feeling he felt when he looked at her, realizing she'd either end up dead or locked up within the months to come. He had to keep his cool, though, reminding himself he was just following direct orders.

"I just don't like the thought of Lin going undercover," Troy admitted, throwing her a sidelong glance. "You roll with people long enough you start thinkin' like 'em."

"You speaking from experience, Troy?" she asked with a somewhat serious tone, but he just brushed it off like it was nothing and nodded in the direction of the cars parked near a tree.

"Those the cars?" he asked, his question answered when she pulled up next to the deep blue Evo and threw the car in park. She gave him one final look as she opened her door and stepped out onto the grass, smoothing the wrinkles from her dress before rounding the front of the car and soon found that people were staring. 

"That's one fine ass body you've got there," the first man to notice commented after shrugging off the woman who had been clinging to his arm as he stood and made his way over to Lexi. Unlike most, he didn't even bother with trying to hide the thirsty look he was giving off as his eyes roamed over her from top to bottom. "And I ain't talking about the car, sweetheart."

"Mighty, mighty fine if I do say so myself," another uttered to her right, licking his lips with a hungry gaze that made her sick to her stomach. "Damn!"

"Yo, fuckface," she spoke, her voice loud and clear. "My eyes are up here. Keep lookin' at me like that so help me God I'll make you wish your momma kept her fucking legs closed. Comprende?"

Her tone was enough to make both grown ass men take a step back and swallow the lumps in their throats. Troy came around the front of the car and stood next to her, somewhat hesitant to make eye contact. His own heart leadpt into his throat when he was met with her dagger like gaze just briefly before she turned back to see that the misogynistic assholes had nothing left to say.

"That's what I thought," she muttered with a venomous sting that sent a chill down Troy's spine. "Now, we gonna race or are you boys afraid of a little competition?"

"Girl's packing a pair, gotta give her credit for that," another voice called, but when the older man stepped into view she saw that he wasn't sporting any colors. He stood with his arms crossed over his chest, an unlit cigarette dangling from his lips as he leaned against one of the cars. "Alexandra Torres, right?" His question caught her off guard, her brows furrow as she turns her full attention to the man, ignoring the questioning look on Troys face. She nodded after a moment, causing a smile to form on his face. His bright smile remained as he pushed off the car and made his way over to the first man, whispering something she couldn't quite catch next to his ear.

Lexi exchanged a brief glance with Troy, taking note of the confusion on his face that was sure to be let with fifty million questions once they were back in the car, before she turned back to see the man nod somewhat hesitantly as the other stepped away.

The older man turned to look at her once again and she just barely caught his wink before he turned to walk away. She watched him until her attention was pulled away by the other clearing his throat.

"Listen, I'm so sorry, I didn't know you were-" he started but she just shook her head with a hand raised to stop any further _apology_ to come from his mouth.

"Cut the shit, are we gonna race or not?" she spoke, her voice tired. She was just ready for this day to be over with.

"I-I um... w-we uh-" he stuttered, swallowing the lump that had formed in his throat. Her sharp glare was intimidating, to say the least. Troy saw this and realized he wasn't the only one she'd out the fear of God in, yet he still had no clue why. "Yeah, we're gonna race." She thought for a moment before turning to Troy, then back to the man.

"Uh, who's closing the streets?" one of the other Rollerz in the back asked, stepping forward.

"No one, that's the point," Lexi answered with a soft chuckle before anyone could say different. "You're not a real racer if you have to have the streets shut down, and that's just facts."

"And you're a woman, what do you know about racing?" he retorted, receiving a hateful glare from the first man. Troy turned to Lexi, cringing slightly as he was almost certain she was about to explode, but was taken aback when her heard her half hearted laugh.

"Oh, you'll see," she said with a smile, her tone threatening before getting back into her car.

"You have any idea what that was about?" Troy asked with a hushed tone as he closed the door behind him. She spared him a glance and gave him a shrug before she slid her heels off her feet and tossed them in the backseat.

"I just wanna get this over with," she said with a sigh as she started the car once again. He looked over at her, seeing that she was more then ready for this day to be over, but why, he had no idea.

"Look, I don't care What Lin says about winning this race. I was thinking that if we could get close enough to each and piss 'am off enough they'll hit the NOS early," he said as he massaged the back of his neck.

"You don't think I can win this, do yo?" she questioned, her eyes narrowed. "Oh, it's so _on_ , motherfucker."

"I never said that," he protested as she ripped the car out of park and three it into reverse. "It was just a suggestion."

The Rollerz had started to get into their vehicles, as did a few others not sporting any gang colors and began lining up behind the flaming barrels on either side of the of the road, four of which being the crimson colored cars Samson had modified. She followed shortly, taking up the rear of the seven cars.

"Just shut up and let me do my job, you think you can do that?" she asked and he nodded, his gaze fixed on hers.

"Alright, listen up!" a loud, authoritative voice called from the front to get everyone's attention. She could just barely make out the bald man sporting a black wife beater, but it was clear he was one of the Rollerz. He plucked the hand rolled cigarette from his mouth and stomped it out before gesturing to tge first two cars, the to his left at the woman next to the flaming barrel.

"Ready!" she shouted over the reving of engines and ge pointed to the other next to the opposite barrel.

"Set!" the other shouted and he threw his hands in the air just briefly before bringing them back down to his sides.

"Go!" His voice was just loud enough to be heard over the roaring engines and he stood there until the cars sped by him.

Flying through the first two barrels Lexi gripped the wheel, shifting gears quickly before drifting around the corner. Troy braced for impact, but it never came. Instead, when he opened his eyes he was surprised to see that she had things under control as she made her way through to the front.

Eyes wide, Troy found himself looking straight ahead as they were approaching the lead car, leaving the Rollerz behind. Without a moment's notice there was a flash in the rear view mirror mere seconds before the front end of the car behind them was engulfed by orange and blue flames when the Roller hit the NOS, exploding a little too close for comfort.

"That was a close one," Troy said stating the obvious as he turned back around in his seat. "Alright, one down, five to go."

"Three," she corrected, dropping through the gears before turning another corner, neck and neck with the tricked out gray Viper. "The others aren't Rollerz."

"Then who are they?" he asked with a dumbfounded look.

"Hate to break it to you, but not all street racing is gang related." Her tone was sharp, almost venomous.

An awkward silence fell over the two when she took the lead, making sure to swerve every so often in order to keep them behind her. It was clear she knew exactly what she was doing, that much was obvious. 

After she whipped the car around another corner she glanced up at the rear view to see that one of the Rollerz was railing her. She sighed knowing full well she would most likely regret her decision the moment she jerked the wheel and watched as the car sped past her with flames already shooting from the exhaust.

She winced slightly as the engine reached its heating point and the entire body of the car erupted in flames ahead of them. Behind them she caught a glimpse of the third car as it flipped on its side and burst into a ball of flames as well.

"Jesus Chirst," she muttered as she swerved to miss the scorched car body and turned onto the freeway, nearly clipping the white minivan at the light.

She contemplating hitting the NOS as the others caught up, but decided against it since she knew it'd be too soon. The green Impreza was right on their ass, almost neck and neck with the final Roller in the crimson Zimos.

Her grip on the steering wheel tightened and she pressed the gas pedal to the floor. It was only a matter of time before he got a big head and blew himself to pieces. And not a second too soon did he manage to pull ahead of the Impreza in time to hit the NOS to blow past her for a short moment before the car exploded from the inside out.

"Lin doesn't fuck around, does she," Troy mused, more to himself but she nodded in agreement, a faint smile on her lips. "Time to get outta here?"

"Uh uh," she said with a shake of her head. "You really don't think I can win this, do you?"

"Look kid," he started. "I told Lin that your driving was _pretty_ good, _okay_ at best, and you don't have to win this stupid race."

"You're right," she said to his surprise, but instead of continuing down the highway she took the exit, speeding between the next pair of flaming barrels. "I don't _have_ to do anything, but I choose to. I choose to win this because I know for a fact that I can."

And so she did, without a doubt, crossed the finish line in first, as she had many times before. But somehow this was different and she couldn't help the nagging feeling she felt when the car finally came to a stop outside her apartment later that night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Por favor, no me hagas daño, Señorita_ \- Please, do not hurt me, Miss
> 
>  _Tango esposa y dos hijos_ \- I have a wife and two kids
> 
>  _Salir del vehículo_ \- Get out of the vehicle
> 
>  _No te haré daño, solo sal, por favor_ \- I will not hurt you, just get out, please


End file.
